Lundeen, who joined Cabela’s Inc. as
senior corporate attorney for labor
and employment law in 2010, had
become very familiar with electronic
case management and e-billing at
his previous posts. He understood
the power of innovation and how it is
changing the practice of law.

Unfortunately, he found none of that legal
technology at Cabela’s and an uphill battle to
secure it. Even after developing and presenting
the business case and the cost savings that
would result, Lundeen’s requests were denied
for two years. “I was beating my head against
the wall and never getting to the finish line,”
he says. So Lundeen tinkered with the tools
at hand, developing his own processes using
Outlook and Windows—but he needed a better,
more sophisticated toolbox, especially for
sharing litigation with his paralegal and outside
counsel.

Lundeen was trying to reduce Cabela’s legalcosts in his area of specialization, seeking adifferent way to manage administrative agencycharges and single-plaintiff employee litiga-tion. While chatting with his longtime acquain-tance Barry Hartstein, Cabela’s relationshippartner at outside counsel Littler Mendelsonin Chicago, Lundeen learned of a firm offeringthat was available within the context of theirexisting relationship at no extra charge. LittlerCaseSmart leverages technology, alterna-tive staffing and project management tomake employment matters more efficient andcost-effective.

“I was immediately sold,” Lundeen says. “It
met not only my needs for case management,
sharing of documents and data on a cloud-based platform, but it also presented me with
several other advantages, including flat-fee
pricing for administrative and litigated matters.”
The Cabela’s and Littler teams worked together
to transition Cabela’s employment law matters
to Littler CaseSmart and develop a dashboard
configured to Cabela’s business. It was truly a
collaborative effort, says Hartstein, who notes
that Lundeen is “a very technology-savvy lawyer
at a company that is cost-sensitive; and who is
very committed to teamwork.” The dashboard
houses all information on Cabela’s employment-related charges and litigation, allowing both
parties to access the details of cases in real
time. It also helps Lundeen spot issues that
might be repeatedly causing problems. By
examining the full portfolio of employment
matters, the legal team can identify trends and
manage risk through employee training and
other means. To help prevent litigation before it
arises, Littler’s learning group has put together
training sessions for Cabela’s employees on
topics such as reporting discrimination, investigations and reasonable accommodations.